Department for Education

Pupil Premium: Mid Bedfordshire

Alistair Strathern: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 4 December 2023 to Question 4598 on Free School Meals: Mid Bedfordshire, whether she has made an estimate of how much pupil premium funding schools have not received as a result of eligible children not claiming free school means in Mid Bedfordshire constituency in the last 12 months.

Damian Hinds: The Mid Bedfordshire constituency has a current Pupil Premium allocation of £3,470,920 for the 2023/24 financial year. This could change in the final allocations in spring if there are any adjustments for new and growing schools. The department has not estimated the impact of free school meals (FSM) uptake in the last 12 months on the level of Pupil Premium funding for schools in the Mid Bedfordshire constituency. The department wants to make sure as many eligible pupils as possible are claiming FSM. To support this, an Eligibility Checking System is provided to make the checking process as quick and straightforward as possible for schools and local authorities. The department has also developed a model registration form to help schools encourage parents to sign up for FSM and provided guidance to Jobcentre Plus advisers so that they can make Universal Credit recipients aware that they may also be entitled to wider benefits, including FSM. Over a third of pupils in England now receive FSM in schools, compared with one in six in 2010. The department has also increased Pupil Premium funding rates by 5% for the 2023/24 financial year, taking total Pupil Premium funding to almost £2.9 billion.

Special Educational Needs: Children

Matt Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when the funding for the 2023-24 academic year will be paid to the Nuffield Early Language Intervention project.

Matt Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to help mitigate the potential impact of the delay in finalising the contract with the Nuffield Foundation for the Nuffield Early Language Intervention (NELI) project on the (a) implementation and (b) continuity of the NELI programme in schools.

Damian Hinds: The Nuffield Early Language Intervention (NELI) programme, which is part of the department’s education recovery response, has played an important role in improving children’s language and communication skills following the COVID-19 pandemic. In September 2023, the Education Endowment Foundation published an independent evaluation of the programme’s impacts in 2021/22. This demonstrated that children who received the programme made the equivalent of four months’ progress in language skills, on average, compared to children who did not receive NELI. Pupils eligible for free school meals made additional progress on average of seven months. It is rare to see this sort of impact from an educational programme on a national level, and fantastic testament to all those involved in delivering it to children over the last three years. Since the programme was launched in 2020, just over 11,100 schools, over two thirds of all primaries, have signed up to deliver NELI. To increase the reach of the programme, the department has confirmed it will be funding all registered schools to continue delivering the programme in the 2023/24 academic year. The funding for the 2023/24 academic year will be paid according to the grant payment schedule agreed with the Nuffield Foundation. The next payment is due March 2024. The department took steps to ensure all delivery partners were content to continue delivering the offer whilst the grant arrangements were being made, in order to ensure continuity of the NELI programme in schools. Therefore, there should have been no impact on provision of the offer to schools this academic year.

Schools: Legionnaires' Disease

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance her Department issues to schools on reporting the (a) presence and (b) suspected presence of legionella bacteria.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to monitor the prevalence of legionella bacteria in schools.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance her Department issues to schools on informing (a) staff, (b) parents and (c) pupils of the (i) presence and (ii) suspected presence of  legionella bacteria.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on the risk of legionella bacteria in schools.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she is informed of (a) the background to and (b) remedial action taken following discovery of legionella bacteria are found in a school.

Damian Hinds: The department takes the health and wellbeing of both pupils and staff very seriously. All schools need to be safe, well-maintained, and compliant with all relevant regulations. This is the responsibility of those running schools, which includes local authorities, academy trusts and voluntary aided school bodies. The department provides guidance on legionella and the relevant duties of an employer, or a person in control of a premises, which is available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/good-estate-management-for-schools/health-and-safety.The department works closely with other government departments to ensure that all guidance reflects the latest best practice. The department is not informed of each individual case of legionella discovery in schools, or of any subsequent action.

Out-of-school Education

Munira Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many (a) education providers have been (i) investigated and (ii) inspected under section 96 of the Education and Skills Act 2008 and (b) unregistered schools have been identified in each year between 2015 and 2023.

Damian Hinds: Ofsted publish statistics twice a year on the number of those settings that have been investigated and inspected under section 96 of the Education and Skills Act 2008 since January 2016. The published statistics include information relating to the number of warning notices that been issued because of Ofsted inspectors concluding that an unregistered school may be operating on the premises. The published statistics which cover each year since 2016 can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/unregistered-schools-management-information.

Rawlins Academy: Repairs and Maintenance

Jane Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information her Department holds on the outcome of the rebuilding survey at Rawlins Academy in Loughborough.

Damian Hinds: Rawlins Academy is part of the School Rebuilding Programme which will transform buildings at 500 schools and sixth-form colleges over the next decade. It will rebuild or refurbish poor condition buildings, providing modern designs, with new buildings being net zero carbon in operation.The department’s surveys at Rawlin’s Academy have recently started and are due to complete in the New Year. The department will share the outcome of these surveys with the school shortly.

Department for Education: Employment Tribunals Service

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many employment tribunals were brought by employees of their Department in the last 12 months.

Damian Hinds: Details of all employment tribunal decision outcomes are available at: https://www.gov.uk/employment-tribunal-decisions.

Childcare

Kim Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate her Department has made of the number and proportion of three and four year old (a) children and (b) children with British citizenship who are not eligible for the extended 30 hours of childcare offer because their parents work the required number of hours but have no recourse to public funds.

Kim Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if her Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of amending the eligibility criteria for the extended 30 hours childcare offer for three and four year-olds to migrant parents with any immigration status who are resident in the UK, have the right to work and who work the requisite number of hours.

Kim Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if her Department will make an assessment of the potential impact of including working parents subject to the No recourse to public funds condition in the extended 30 hours childcare offer for three- and four-year-olds on (a) maternal and (b) parental participation in the labour force.

David Johnston: This government is making the largest investment in childcare in England’s history. By the 2027/28 financial year, the government will expect to be spending in excess of £8 billion every year on free hours and early education. It will provide hard working parents 30 hours of free childcare per week (38 weeks per year) for children aged 9 months to until they start school. This represents the single biggest investment in childcare in England ever. The department does not hold data on the numbers of 3- and 4-year-old children who are not eligible for 30 hours because their parents have no recourse to public funds, and what proportion of those children have British citizenship. The expanded working parent entitlement, which will be rolled out in phases from April 2024, will be available to working parents who meet the eligibility criteria. These will be the same as the current 30 hours offer for 3- and 4-year-olds. The free childcare entitlements for the children of working parents are not within the definition of ’public funds’ in the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 or the Immigration Rules. However, there are requirements in the Childcare (Free of Charge for Working Parents) (England) Regulations 2022 for the parent, or one of the parents, not to be subject to immigration control. This means that where both parents have no recourse to public funds, they will not be eligible for the entitlements. However, if there are two parents and just one of them is subject to immigration control the family will still be eligible for the entitlements, provided they meet the other conditions. Parents with no recourse to public funds are, however, able to access the 15 hours free early education entitlement available for all 3 and 4-year-olds and, if eligible, 15 hours free early education for disadvantaged 2-year-olds. In September 2022, the department extended eligibility for the 2-year-old entitlement to disadvantaged families who have no recourse to public funds. This is because these entitlements are intended to support children's development and help prepare them for school. The government has no current plans to extend the free childcare entitlements offer for working parents to families with no recourse to public funds.

Special Educational Needs

Dean Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure that children and young people with SEND are able to access appropriate support.

David Johnston: In the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and Alternative Provision (AP) Improvement Plan, published in March, the department outlined its commitment for children and young people with SEND (or attending alternative provision) to enjoy their childhood, achieve good outcomes and feel well prepared for adulthood and employment. The department will give families greater confidence that their child will be able to fulfil their potential through improved mainstream provision in their local setting and strengthened accountability across the system so that everyone is held to account for supporting children and young people with SEND. For those children and young people with SEND who do require an Education, Health and Care plan and specialist provision, the department will ensure they get access to the support they need, and that parents do not face an adversarial system to secure this. High needs revenue funding will rise to £10.5 billion in 2024-25, a 60% increase on 2019/20 allocations. An additional £2.6 billion of funding will support local authorities to deliver new places in mainstream, special schools and alternative provision and to improve the suitability of existing buildings. Through the £70 million Change Programme, the department is testing and refining the Improvement Plan reforms to improve outcomes and experiences for children and young people with SEND and their families. The department is committed to improving the supply, training and deployment of key workforces, to make the best use of professional expertise, at whatever age or stage it is needed, and prevent needs from escalating. This includes training up to 7,000 early years specialists and investing a further £21 million to train 400 more educational psychologists. To ensure teachers have the knowledge and skills to deliver high-quality teaching for pupils with SEND, the department is implementing a ‘golden thread’ of evidence-based teacher training reforms from initial teacher training through to an early career framework based induction and on to National Professional Qualifications (NPQ) for more experienced teachers. This support includes the introduction of a new leadership level NPQ for Special Educational Needs Co-ordinators that will begin teaching in autumn 2024.

Special Educational Needs: Finance

Tom Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has issued guidance for local authorities on the inclusion of personal budgets in education, health and care plans.

Tom Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what data her Department holds on the number and proportion of education, health and care plans that included personal budgets in each of the last five years.

David Johnston: When a local authority draws up or reviews an Education, Health and Care (EHC) Plan, the child’s parents, or the young person from age 16, can request a personal budget. Local authorities must include information on personal budgets as part of their published Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) local offer. Statutory guidance for local authorities on personal budgets is included in the 0 to 25 years SEND Code of Practice. This can be accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/send-code-of-practice-0-to-25. The number and proportion of EHC Plans that included personal budgets in each of the last five years are as follows:  20192020202120222023Number of personal budgets15,71220,34622,23325,25918,887Number of EHC plans353,995390,109430,697473,255517,049Proportion of EHC plans including a personal budget4.4%5.2%5.2%5.3%3.7%

Students: Loneliness

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department holds information on the steps (a) schools and (b) colleges are taking to assess the potential risks of (i) loneliness and (ii) social isolation among their students.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department is taking steps to support children experiencing (a) loneliness and (b) social isolation (i) within and (ii) outside school.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if her Department will provide guidance to schools on (a) ensuring that their pupils have opportunities to raise challenges relating to (i) social isolation and (ii) loneliness and (b) strategies for supporting young people that may experience those challenges.

David Johnston: The department works closely with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport on the government’s strategy for tackling loneliness, which aims to reduce loneliness across all age groups through building the evidence base, reducing the stigma associated with loneliness and driving a lasting shift. The department does not hold information on the steps schools and colleges are taking to assess the potential risks of loneliness and social isolation among their students. It does monitor children and young people’s feeling of loneliness and sense of belonging at school through regular parent, pupil and learner panel surveys. The department uses this data, alongside other sources, in its annual State of the Nation reports, which presents trends in children and young people’s wellbeing and related experiences, including loneliness, sense of belonging and relationships. As part of the department’s approach to loneliness, it wants all schools to provide supportive, inclusive environments where all pupils feel they belong and can form positive relationships with peers and adults. The department’s Relationships, Sex and Health Education (RSHE) curriculum supports this, by teaching pupils about the features and importance of healthy, respectful relationships and the wellbeing benefits of time spent with family and friends.The department has also produced a range of guidance for schools relevant to supporting pupils experiencing loneliness. The department’s statutory RSHE guidance states that a firm foundation in the benefits and characteristics of good health and wellbeing will enable teachers to talk about isolation, loneliness, unhappiness, bullying and the negative impact of poor wellbeing. It makes clear that isolation and loneliness can affect children and it is very important for children to discuss their feelings with an adult and seek support.Extra-curricular activities also provide valuable opportunities for social connection, both in and outside of schools; the government is taking action to widen access to these opportunities. This includes investing £200 million a year in its holiday activities and food programme and supporting up to 200 secondary schools to improve their extra-curricular offer through the new Enrichment Partnerships Pilot. Through the National Youth Guarantee, the department is committed to every young person aged 11 to18 having access to regular clubs and activities, adventures away from home and opportunities to volunteer by 2025, supporting them to make new lasting social connections. Finally, the guidance on a whole school or college approach to mental health and wellbeing can help settings ensure pupils have opportunities to raise issues affecting them, which may include social isolation and loneliness, and to support them with these challenges. The guidance is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/promoting-children-and-young-peoples-emotional-health-and-wellbeing.

Special Educational Needs

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make a comparative assessment of the adequacy of SEND support provided to pupils by (a) specialist units in mainstream schools and (b) specialist schools.

David Johnston: According to the latest available inspection data, 75% of special schools are good or outstanding. 82% of mainstream schools with SEN units or resourced provision are good or outstanding.Local authorities are responsible for determining what educational institution to name on an individual child or young person’s Education, Health and Care plan as part of the statutory assessment process.

Special Educational Needs

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure that children who have a (a) mental health and (b) neurodiversity diagnosis are able to meet in full their potential educational outcomes.

David Johnston: Through delivery of the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and Alternative Provision (AP) Improvement Plan, the department will establish a single national system that delivers for every child and young person with SEND and in AP, so that they enjoy their childhood, achieve good outcomes, and are well prepared for adulthood and employment.The department will give families greater confidence that their child will be able to fulfil their potential through improved mainstream provision in their local setting.For those children and young people with SEND who do require an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan and specialist provision, the department will ensure they get access to the support they need, and that parents do not face an adversarial system to secure this.Through the Partnership for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools programme, the department aims to help neurodiverse children fulfil their potential.The department will provide £13 million of new funding to develop new ways of working, to support the educational and health needs of neurodiverse children. The aim of the programme is to work with staff from across our specialist health and education workforces, who will work with parents and carers, in mainstream primary schools to:Support schools to create environments that better meet neurodiverse children’s, needs, ensuring they are able to thrive as part of their wider cohort.Move away from an emphasis on individual interventions and instead work towards group approaches which benefit the whole cohort.Upskill staff working in schools and build teacher confidence to offer excellent provision for neurodiverse children in mainstream schools.Reduce the need for intensive or crisis support further down the line. This could include mental health interventions, therapies or special educational provision requiring an EHC plan.The department is offering all schools and colleges funding to train a senior mental health lead, who can put in place effective, whole-school approaches to mental health and wellbeing. The department is extending the coverage of Mental Health Support Teams to at least 50% of pupils by 2025 and since September 2020 has ensured that there is a strong focus on mental health and wellbeing in the Relationships, Sex and Health Education curriculum.

Special Educational Needs: Hertfordshire

Dean Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much funding her Department provided to Hertfordshire County Council for the delivery of their statutory responsibilities to (a) SEND children and (b) their families in the latest period for which data is available.

David Johnston: High needs funding for the provision of education for children and young people with complex Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) is increasing by 60% from the 2019/20 allocations to over £10.5 billion in the 2024/25 financial year. The department has announced provisional 2024/25 high needs allocations for local authorities. Hertfordshire County Council’s allocation is £187 million, which is £8.4 million more than the Council will receive this year, a cumulative increase of 29% per head over the three years from 2021/22. Funding for other services for children with SEND and their families is provided to local authorities through the local government finance settlement from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.

Childcare

Kim Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department has taken to communicate with (a) schools and (b) local authorities about the expansion of eligibility for the disadvantaged two-year-old offer to include families affected with no recourse to public funds.

David Johnston: The department consulted on extending eligibility for the 15 hour early education entitlement for 2-year-olds between 25 March 2022 and 20 May 2022. The department published its response on 25 August 2022 alongside guidance, including a sample application form, for local authorities which is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/30-hours-free-childcare-la-and-early-years-provider-guide. In addition, the eligibility criteria have been updated on GOV.UK.

Teachers: Training

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of implementing a pilot scheme of mandatory autism training in education settings.

David Johnston: The department considers all teachers as teachers of Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). All teachers need to be equipped to teach pupils with SEND. High quality teaching is the single most important in-school factor in improving outcomes for all pupils.​Training and development to support children with SEND begins at the start of a teacher’s career journey, through their Initial Teacher Training (ITT), and is embedded throughout the Early Career Framework (ECF) once qualified. ITT courses must be designed so that trainee teachers can demonstrate that they meet the Teachers’ Standards at the appropriate level. The Teachers’ Standards already set clear expectations that teachers must understand the needs of all pupils, including those with SEND. To identify opportunities to build teacher expertise, the department is undertaking a review of the ITT Core Content Framework (CCF) and ECF. The review, due to be published in early 2024, has an aim to support trainees and Early Career Teachers to be more confident in meeting the needs of children and young people with SEND, through engaging with the most up to date evidence to inform their practice and applying this in the contexts in which they work as new teachers. To support teachers and leaders at any stage in their career, the department’s Universal Services programme, backed by almost £12 million, provides SEND-specific training for education professionals. Universal Services includes autism-specific training and resources led by the Autism Education Trust, with over 100,000 professionals undertaking autism awareness training since 2022.

Immigration: Higher Education

Geraint Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Oral Statement from the Secretary of State for the Home Department of 4 December 2023 on Legal Migration, Official Report, column 41, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of the changes to immigration rules announced in that Statement on higher education institutions.

Robert Halfon: The government seeks to ensure that there is a fair and robust migration policy, whilst maintaining the UK’s place as a top destination for the best and brightest students from around the world. The department remains committed to the ambitions set out in the government’s International Education Strategy to host 600,000 international students per year, and to increase the value of our education exports to £35 billion per year, both by 2030. The department is hugely proud to have met its international student recruitment ambition two years running. However, the level of legal migration remains too high. As a result, on 4 December 2023, the government announced a new package of measures to reduce net migration and curb abuse and exploitation of the country’s immigration system. The department expects the UK to remain a highly attractive study destination. The UK has 4 universities in the top 10, and 17 in the top 100. The UK has a highly sought after higher education experience, which is respected by students across the globe. The department will work closely with the Home Office, Department for Business and Trade, and other governmental departments to assess the impact of these changes on higher education providers.

Higher Education: China

Ian Paisley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the report The Strategic Dependence of UK Universities on China, published by Civitas on 2 November 2023, whether her Department is taking steps to help reduce the proportion of funding universities receive from China.

Ian Paisley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the implication for her policies of the proportion of funding from China for universities; and what guidance she issues to universities on sources of funding other than China.

Ian Paisley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of the proportion of funding for universities from China on (a) academic freedoms and (b) student welfare.

Ian Paisley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential implications for national security of the proportion of funding for universities from China.

Robert Halfon: The Integrated Review Refresh, which this government published in March 2023, sets out in clear terms the UK’s policy towards China.The UK is a world-leading destination for foreign students, including from China, where they add to the academic richness of UK universities. However, a key part of the International Education Strategy is diversification. Universities must ensure they have appropriate processes in place to manage the risks associated with dependence on a single source of funding, whether that is from a single organisation or a single country. The Office for Students (OfS), the regulator of higher education in England, monitors the risk of over-reliance on overseas income at a sector level. The department recognises concerns about overseas interference in the higher education sector and regularly assess the risks facing academia. The department has acted to remove government funding from Confucius Institutes in the UK. The department will continue to take steps to significantly strengthen the UK’s protections from overseas interference in our higher education sector, helping to safeguard intellectual property and sensitive research.The Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023 will introduce increased transparency and the monitoring of certain overseas funding received by higher education providers in England. The protection of individuals’ rights, freedoms, and safety in the UK is taken very seriously. Attempts by foreign powers to intimidate, harass or harm individuals or communities in the UK will not be tolerated. The department has committed, in the Integrated Review Refresh, to review the full set of legislative and other provisions designed to protect the academic sector, in order to identify what more can be or should be done.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Carbon Capture and Storage: Grasslands

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the (a) carbon sequestration potential of grasslands and (b) impact of sampling depth on the amount of carbon stored.

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of land management practices on the amount of carbon stored in grassland soil.

Rebecca Pow: In June 2019, the Environment Agency published a State of the Environment: Soil Report, which identified that intensive agriculture, such as ploughing up permanent pasture for arable crops or temporary grassland, usually reduces soil organic matter (including carbon). We are paying for a range of actions through farming schemes such as Sustainable Farming Incentive to support farm decarbonisation and Countryside Stewardship and Landscape Recovery to store more carbon in the landscape. The schemes will help farmers deliver environmental outcomes on the land they manage while helping their businesses become more productive and sustainable. Arable soils are known to be more depleted in soil carbon than grasslands, so the potential for future sequestration is lower in grasslands than when compared to arable soils. Sampling to a meter’s depth is preferable so that as much of the soil carbon store as possible may be measured. However, in order to provide a balance between practicality and robust measurements, sampling to a depth of up to 40cm would generally be appropriate as this is the depth to which most land management practices affect the soil profile most significantly. Robust and accurate carbon audits which are based on or from business-level data can be valuable in benchmarking performance, and help farm businesses plan and action decarbonising measures and enhance management of negative emissions. To help farmers confidently understand the emissions on their land and take advantage of the new financial opportunities this will unlock, we are committed to developing a harmonised approach to measuring carbon on farms. We are also considering how we can best support the implementation of carbon audits through a controlled expansion of the Defra Farming and Countryside Programme sustainable farming advice offer. We recognise the challenges in improving the robustness and consistency of carbon auditing tools. To help harmonise these tools and how they are used, Defra is currently funding a 'Harmonisation of Carbon Accounting Tools for Agriculture' project to assess differences between a number of market leading carbon calculators, understand the causes of this divergence and how it impacts tool users and how to improve harmonisation.   Defra is also working to provide greater access to the calculations and the models developed as part of the UK’s Agricultural Inventory of Ammonia and GHG Emissions to interested third parties. This will support longer term alignment between the UK’s national GHG accounts and primary data gathered from farms.

Solid Fuels: Air Pollution

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much his Department has spent on the Burn Better, Breathe Better campaign.

Robbie Moore: The Department will spend at least £328,000 on the 2023-4 Burn Better, Breathe Better Campaign. This is delivering targeted communications which promote best practice in the use of open fires and stoves to reduce emissions of air pollutants.

Food Supply: Committees

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the publication by the Agricultural Industries Confederation entitled Powering productivity for sustainable food security, published on 15 November 2023, whether he plans to accept the recommendation on the creation of an independent food security committee.

Mark Spencer: The Government takes food security very seriously. The UK Food Security Report (UKFSR) contains a suite of indicators linked to the five food security themes outlined in the report. Defra is in the process of preparing the next iteration of the UKFSR which will be published by December 2024. We have well established ways of working with the industry and across Government to monitor, prepare for and respond to risks to food security. We do not have plans to create an independent food security committee.

Dangerous Dogs

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Answer of 4 December 2023 to Question 3959 on Dangerous Dogs, which organisations were part of the expert group convened by Defra to define the XL Bully breed type.

Mark Spencer: The organisations represented on the group included the police, local authorities, devolved administrations, and the Animal Welfare Committee, which advises the Government on animal welfare issues.

Wood-burning Stoves: Air Pollution

Geraint Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of domestic wood burning on the environment.

Robbie Moore: The National Atmospheric Emissions Inventory (NAEI) is published annually and contains an assessment of domestic wood burning emissions. The current data was published in February 2023 and shows emissions data for 2021.

Environment Protection: EU Law

Geraint Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Answer of 7 November 2022 to Question 60902 on Environment Protection: EU Law, whether she plans to replicate regulations (a) nine and (b) 10 in the National Emission Ceilings Regulations 2018 that were removed by the Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Act 2023.

Robbie Moore: No. Regulations 9 and 10 of the National Emission Ceilings Regulations concern the National Air Pollution Control Programme (NAPCP). The NAPCP was a bureaucratic process that does nothing to improve the air we breathe. Its content is a duplication of material contained, in a more accessible format, in national policy statements including the EIP for England which sets out our actual delivery plan to improve the air we breathe. When we consulted on the NAPCP of those who expressed an opinion, a majority agreed that the format of the NAPCP could be improved, with a consensus that the format was too lengthy and too technical. With this in mind, we are considering how we can simplify the process to reduce administrative burdens and improve transparency.

Air Pollution: International Cooperation

Geraint Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for his Department's policies of the work undertaken by the (a) Forum for International Cooperation on Air Pollution and (b) Task Force for International Cooperation on Air Pollution on tacking air quality.

Robbie Moore: The Forum for International Cooperation Air Pollution was set up by the United Kingdom and Sweden under the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, Convention for Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution, which the UK is a founding member. The UK and Sweden agreed to co-chair the Forum under the Strategic Partnership agreement between the UK and Sweden. The forum aims to help all countries reduce and prevent air pollution around the world, utilising expertise and experience of UNECE Member-States and other Partners to provide relevant scientific, technical, and policy information. The workplan for the Forum is agreed under the annual workplans of the UNECE Air Convention, and subject to available resources.

Air Pollution

Geraint Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Answer of 2 November 2022 to Question 63894 on Air Pollution, what progress his Department has made on delivering the Government's commitments made in the Clean Air Strategy 2019.

Robbie Moore: Delivery of our Clean Air Strategy continues through Defra’s Air Quality and Industrial Emissions Programme and the Environment Improvement Plan Clean Air commitments (published 31 January 2023). Recent achievements include:Publication of an Air Quality Strategy.Publication of outdoor burning best practice guidance.Targeted communications campaign to promote best practice in use of wood stoves and fireplaces.

Solid Fuels: Heating

Geraint Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what regulations are in place to control the (a) sale and (b) use of fuels used in domestic heating and burning.

Geraint Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what (a) regulations and (b) requirements his Department has introduced to control domestic burning since 1 January 2020.

Robbie Moore: An extensive legal framework is in place to reduce emissions from domestic combustion. The Air Quality (Domestic Solid Fuels Standards) (England) Regulations 2020 came into force in May 2021 and over two years phased out the sale of traditional house coal for domestic use, prevented the sale of small volumes of wet wood, and placed emissions standards on manufactured solid fuels. In January 2022, new Ecodesign requirements for stoves came into force. Our Environmental Improvement Plan, published in January 2023, commits us to go even further in driving up stove and fuel standards.

Smoke Control Areas

Geraint Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many smoke control areas have been (a) declared and (b) revoked in (i) 2022 and (ii) 2023.

Robbie Moore: While local authorities are encouraged to inform Defra of any changes to smoke control areas, they are only required to notify us if they are varying or revoking a smoke control area created before 13th November 1980 as such changes must be confirmed by Defra Secretary of State. Defra is not aware of any smoke control areas being created or revoked in 2022. In 2023 approval was given to revoke 119 smoke control areas. We were notified of the intent to introduce 2 smoke control areas which both consolidated and expand on previous smoke control areas.

Solid Fuels: Heating

Geraint Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his Department's policies of the Stove Industry Alliance report entitled, The Contribution of Domestic Burning to UK Particulate Emissions, published on 31 January 2022.

Robbie Moore: Defra will continue to evaluate new evidence on sources of air pollution.

Air Pollution

Geraint Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the way air quality information is communicated by his Department to the public.

Geraint Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will announce a public consultation on the way in which his Department communicates (a) information and (b) advice on air quality to the public.

Robbie Moore: The Government is undertaking a comprehensive review of how we communicate air quality information to ensure members of the public, and vulnerable groups in particular, have the information they need to understand their air quality. Recommendations from the steering group established to oversee this work will be published in 2024.

Wood-burning Stoves: Smoke Control Areas

Geraint Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Answer of 20 January 2022 to Question 102530 on Wood-burning Stoves: Smoke Control Areas, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of his Department’s work to build consumer understanding of the (a) Ecodesign and (b) other requirements for the use of wood burning appliances in Smoke Control Areas.

Robbie Moore: Our Burn Better campaign focuses on the best use of open fires and wood burning stoves and raises awareness of the rules in smoke control areas. The campaign is evaluated annually.

Firewood: Air Pollution

Geraint Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Answer of 22 January 2022 to Question 102534 on Firewood: Air Pollution, if he will publish all the research studies to estimate the contribution of domestic wood burning to primary emissions of particulate matter that the Government has commissioned since 1 January 2022.

Robbie Moore: The contribution of domestic wood burning to primary emissions are estimated in our national atmospheric emissions inventory (NAEI). We publish the methods we use in the Informative Inventory Report and methods document on an annual basis on the NAEI website. The latest report can be found here. We have commissioned a number of projects to estimate the emissions associated with different solids fuels and appliances and to track trends in domestic burning practices across the UK. The reports will be published in due course.

Wood-burning Stoves: Regulation

Geraint Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Answer of 17 January 2023 to Question 102525 on Wood-burning Stoves: Regulation, if he will publish all regulations on the purchase and use of wood burning appliances in one place on (a) his Department's and (b) the UK-Air website.

Robbie Moore: We intend to consolidate and make available further information on domestic combustion regulatory requirements in due course.

Solid Fuels: Air Pollution

Geraint Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Answer of 14 January 2022 to Question 98203 on Wood-burning Stoves, if he will publish the evaluation of the impact of the Domestic Solid Fuel Regulations 2020.

Robbie Moore: The evaluation of the Domestic Solid Fuel Regulations 2020 is ongoing.

Smoke and Chimney Gases: Complaints

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate he has made of the (a) number of complaints to English local authorities regarding domestic smoke between January 2022 and September 2023 and (b) proportion of such complaints which resulted in enforcement action.

Robbie Moore: Defra does not hold a central database recording complaints to local authorities or enforcement action taken.

Wood-burning Stoves: Smoke Control Areas

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what guidance his Department has issued to (a) local authorities and (b) manufacturers on the 3mg limit on new stoves in Smoke Control Areas.

Robbie Moore: In our Environmental Improvement Plan, published in January 2023, we committed to lowering the emission limits for solid fuel stoves in Smoke Control Areas from 5 grams of smoke per hour of operation to at least as low as 3 grams of smoke per hour of operation. As the Department is currently developing this policy, no guidance has yet been issued.

Church Commissioners

Church of England: Energy

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, if the Church will have discussions with the Dioceses of (a) Hereford and (b) Lichfield on support with energy costs.

Andrew Selous: The Church Commissioners are in regular contact with the Dioceses of Hereford and Lichfield. During the winter of 2022-23, due to dramatic increases in energy costs, £3million of Church Commissioners’ funding was made available through the Archbishops’ Council to support additional ministry hardship funding for clergy and lay workers, and a further £15million was similarly made available in energy cost support funding for dioceses to allocate primarily to Parochial Church Councils. This money was in addition to the dioceses' own ministry hardship funding and discretionary funding.There is no plan to offer a similar scheme this year over and above the money already available through diocesean discretionary and hardship funds.

Churches: Mid Derbyshire

Mrs Pauline Latham: To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, what support the Commissioners provide to churches in Mid Derbyshire constituency on Historic England's Heritage at Risk.

Andrew Selous: In the Mid Derbyshire constituency the Church of the Holy Trinity in Belper, and All Saints Church in Ockbrook and Borrowash, are on the 'At Risk Register'. Support and advice for parishes about the management of their building is available from their local Archdeacon, the Diocesan Advisory Committee and from the national ChurchCare website, including on available grants: https://www.churchofengland.org/resources/churchcareAround 2,500 Church of England buildings are listed by Historic England, with 45% of all England's Grade I listed buildings being cathedrals and churches. The average annual cost for the maintenance and repairs to parish churches is estimated at £150 million, and the maintenance of churches across the country is mostly financed by generous local donors and volunteers.The Church remains grateful for the continuation of the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme. Money invested in church buildings brings positive benefits to the wider community: the 2021 House of Good report by the National Churches Trust (https://www.houseofgood.nationalchurchestrust.org/) found that "the annual social and economic value of church buildings to the UK is worth around £55 billion. This sum, calculated using the latest HM Treasury Green Book guidance, includes the contribution churches make to wellbeing and to local economies."The Government commissioned an independent review of the sustainability of English Churches and Cathedrals in 2017, known as the 'Taylor Review'. The Church is still awaiting the formal response from the Government to this report; however, the National Church Institutions have started to implement several of the recommendations. The Taylor Review can be read here: The Taylor Review: Sustainability of English Churches and Cathedrals - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)In November 2023 the Church of England awarded £9 million to dioceses for repairs and specialist advice to parishes. This will fund 30 support officers across the country to give specialist advice on the management, conservation, repair and development of church buildings, including community use alongside worship. A further £6.2 million has been allocated across 41 dioceses for making grants of up to £12,000 for repairs to churches. The grants will focus on small-scale but urgent works and projects that could save larger sums in the long term. The fund will also be able to help cover the cost of essential improvements for the mission and ministry of a church. More information can be found here: https://www.churchofengland.org/media-and-news/press-releases/church-england-announces-ps9-million-help-parishes-repairs-and

Church Schools

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, if he will make an assessment of the contribution of church schools in (a) Hendon constituency and (b) the UK.

Andrew Selous: The Church of England educates over one million children in its 4,700 schools. Church of England schools are committed to the flourishing of children and deliver a rounded education that remains in high demand with parents. In Hendon an excellent example is St Mary's and St John's, a large, successful and thriving all-through school which yielded outstanding GCSE results this summer; the highest they have been.The Church of England is one of the leading providers for leadership development, through National Professional Qualifications. These qualifications, in partnership with His Majesty's Government, have provided vital investment in leadership and teacher development at a time when attracting people into teaching faces numerous challenges. The Government's commitment in this area is welcome because it is a key part of ensuring improved outcomes for children, especially those who are most vulnerable.The Church's contribution and vision for how the whole system can flourish is set out in Our Hope for a Flourishing Schools System - Foundation For Educational Leadership. It explains that Church schools "ensure a careful balance of wisdom, knowledge and skills in their curriculum planning, enabling their students not only to excel in examinations but releasing wise young leaders and courageous advocates, inspired and equipped to shape their future society. They are beacons of hope for the communities they serve, frequently standing as the most significant institution in a local area."

Church of England: Religious Freedom

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, whether the Church of England is taking steps to advocate for freedom of religion and belief in other countries.

Andrew Selous: Over the past two years the Church of England has been closely involved with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office in supporting the work of His Majesty's Ambassadors and diplomats, as part of a structured programme of engagement between the Church’s global networks and the civil service, to increase awareness of Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB).The Church was represented at the Government conference in 2022 that highlighted the need for increased global action on FoRB and continues to support the International Panel of Parliamentarians for Freedom of Religion or Belief. More information about the work of the International Panel can be found here: https://www.ippforb.com/about/Bishops of the global Anglican Communion came together for the Lambeth Conference in 2022 and spent a day discussing issues of interfaith engagement, human dignity and freedom of religion and belief. At the Conference a range of calls were made, outlining priorities for the Church worldwide. The documents relating to Freedom of Religion and religious persecution can be found under the Inter-Faith, Christian Unity and Human Dignity sections here: https://www.lambethconference.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/The-Lambeth-Calls-English-2023.pdf(opens in a new tab)The United Nations Security Council has recently adopted a resolution to produce an annual report on freedom of religion and belief. It was sponsored by the United Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates, and the resolution was based on the former Bishop of Truro's review, commissioned by the UK Government. The Security Council adopted the proposal, which will see the UN Secretary General produce an oral report on FoRB-related threats to international peace and security.

Treasury

Crown Estate Commissioners: Borrowing and Investment

Dr Thérèse Coffey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Autumn Statement 2023, whether he plans to bring forward legislative proposals to provide the Crown Estate with (a) borrowing and (b) wider investment powers during this Session.

Gareth Davies: As set out in Autumn Statement 2023, to further accelerate the UK’s world-leading offshore wind deployment, the government will bring forward legislation to provide the Crown Estate with borrowing and wider investment powers as soon as parliamentary time allows. This will help to unlock a further 20-30GW of new offshore wind seabed rights by 2030.

Tax Avoidance

Munira Wilson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to update to the List of named tax avoidance schemes, promoters, enables and suppliers of 1 December 2023, what recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of changes to the loan charge that came into effect on 5 April 2019 on the financial wellbeing of freelancers.

Nigel Huddleston: The Loan Charge was independently reviewed by Lord Morse, who considered the impacts of the policy on individuals. The Government accepted 19 of his 20 recommendations. These changes, such as removing loans made before 9 December 2010 from the scope of the Loan Charge, reduced the impact of the policy and removed aspects which were of wider concern. HMRC puts support for those affected at the core of its work to collect the Loan Charge and bring cases to settlement. HMRC can agree an affordable and sustainable instalment plan based on taxpayers’ specific circumstances and for as long as they need. HMRC can also refer taxpayers for free debt advice that is independent from HMRC.

Natwest: Shares

James Wild: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Autumn Statement 2023, whether his Department has appointed advisers to review the potential merits of a NatWest retail share offer.

Bim Afolami: At Autumn Statement 2023, the Chancellor set out that, as part of the plan to return NatWest to the private sector, the government will explore options to launch a share sale to retail investors in the next 12 months, subject to supportive market conditions and achieving value for money. Commercial advisers will be required to support the government’s assessment of options for a retail offer and any decisions regarding the merits of an offer will be taken by ministers in due course.

Department for Business and Trade

Exports: Government Assistance

Dehenna Davison: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps her Department is taking to help support businesses to export their products.

Kevin Hollinrake: The Department for Business and Trade helps businesses grow their business overseas by providing information, training, events and expert advice to both new and experienced exporters at all stages of their exporting journey. Our range of support offers comprises a digital self-serve offer on great.gov.uk, and a wider network of support including domestic and overseas trade advisers, sector specialists, export champions, the Export Academy, International Markets network as well as through UK Export Finance. All this support is accessed through Great.gov.uk. We also help businesses to benefit from new free trade agreements and work across Government to reduce barriers to exporting and simplify border processes.

Export Controls

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what the average length of time for decisions on export licencing has been in each of the last five years.

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the average length of time for decisions to be made on export licencing on the competitiveness of British exporters.

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether she plans to take steps to reduce the average length of time for decisions to be made on export licences.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: HM Government is committed to maintaining a robust and transparent export control regime. The Export Control Joint Unit (ECJU) is extremely mindful of the commercial pressures that businesses face – and of the need to process licence applications with minimum delay.HM Government publishes data on export licensing decisions on a quarterly basis in the Official Statistics on GOV.UK. This covers licensing decisions back from 2008 onwards and includes data on the average length of time for decisions to be made. This data is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/strategic-export-controls-licensing-statistics-quarterly-reports.We keep the licensing process under continuous review, including the targets we set for processing times for applications.

Export Controls

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many and what proportion of export licencing decisions were processed within (a) 20 days and (b) 60 days in the latest period for which figures are available.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: HM Government publishes data on export licensing decisions on a quarterly basis in the strategic export controls licensing Official Statistics on GOV.UK, including data on median processing times and the number/percentage of applications processed against our 20 and 60 working day targets.This data is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/strategic-export-controls-licensing-statistics-quarterly-reports. Table B of each publication provides a break down of median processing times and performance against our 20 and 60 working day targets.The most recent publication was on 30th August 2023, and covered the period 1st January – 31st March 2023.

Foreign Companies: China

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what restrictions the Government has imposed on (a) Huawei, (b) ZTE, (c) Hikvision, (d) Hytera, (e) Alibaba, (f) Tencent, (g) Dahua, (h) China Telecom, (i) China Mobile, (j) DJI, (k) ByteDance, (l) Kingsoft, (m) senseTime, (n) Megvil, (o) SMIC, (p) China Unicom and (q) Fujian Jinhua.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: This is a matter for the Cabinet Office.

British Standards Institution: Certification

Iain Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if her Department will commemorate the 120th anniversary of the BSI Kitemark.

Kevin Hollinrake: The Government congratulates the British Standards Institution (BSI) in reaching the 120th anniversary of their Kitemark and also commends their work as the UK’s National Standards body. However, there are no plans to commemorate the reaching of this landmark.

Cabinet Office

10 Downing Street: Official Hospitality

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many drinks receptions were held in 10 Downing Street in each of the last three years.

Alex Burghart: Details of official receptions are published in quarterly transparency returns on gov.uk.

Fleetwood Strategy: NHS

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether (a) the Prime Minister and (b) officials in Downing Street have had recent discussions with representatives of Fleetwood Strategy on the NHS.

Alex Burghart: Details of ministerial meetings with external organisations on official government business are routinely published on the gov.uk website. Party political discussions are a matter for the Conservative Party.

Fraud: Coronavirus

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 4 December 2023 to Question 4170 on Fraud: Coronavirus, what proportion of the recovered £88 million is designated as (a) fraud and (b) error.

Alex Burghart: The UK government is proud of its record in proactively seeking to find and prevent more fraud in the system and has invested over an extra £1bn in tackling fraud and error since Autumn 2021 across government. This includes the launch of the Public Sector Fraud Authority in August 2022 which builds on lessons learned in the management of fraud risk and loss in the pandemic.The government’s ‘Cross-Government Fraud Landscape Annual Report 2022’ showed that at the end of March 2021 there had been £88.2m of fraud and error recovered within COVID-19 schemes (excluding HMRC-administered COVID-19 schemes and any fraud and error related to tax and welfare). Of this, £19.6m was reported by departments as fraud and £68.6m was reported as error. These figures only represent 2020-2021 data, since then, further funds have been recovered.

Department of Health and Social Care

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people were given the Covishield covid-19 vaccine in the UK.

Maria Caulfield: Covishield is another product name for the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, and it was authorised for use in other countries under that name, but not in the United Kingdom. The Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine approved for use in the UK is Vaxzevria. Some people in the UK will be recorded as have received Covishield, but they would have received the vaccine only in countries where it was authorised.

Mental Health Services: Carers

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of mental health support available to unpaid carers.

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of the cost of living on the mental health of unpaid carers.

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to reduce waiting times for counselling services for unpaid carers.

Maria Caulfield: The demand on National Health Service mental health services has risen significantly as the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and the rise in the cost of living on people’s mental health continue to be felt. This means that some people including unpaid carers are facing waiting times that are longer than we would like. The NHS is working to ensure that help is available for people as early as possible.The NHS Long Term Plan commits to investing £2.3 billion extra funding a year in expanding and transforming mental health services by March 2024, enabling an extra two million people, including unpaid carers, to be treated by NHS mental health services, including Talking Therapies. The Plan also commits to growing the mental health workforce by an additional 27,000 staff in the same period.The NHS is also working towards implementing five new access and waiting time standards for mental health services as part of its clinical review of NHS Access Standards.

NHS: Databases

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the award criteria were for the Federated Data Platform contract.

Andrew Stephenson: NHS England conducted an open and competitive tender process for the Federated Data Programme. The evaluation criteria consisted of three parts: - quality (technical), making up 60%;- social value (10%); and- commercial (30%). These details are set out in the NHS Federated Data Platform and Associated Services prospectus which provides further information about the procurement process followed, and is available at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/nhs-federated-data-platform-and-associated-services/ The full evaluation criteria and scoring methodology was published as part of the complete tender documentation on NHS England’s e-tendering system.

Health Services

Mr David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the letter from the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department of Health and Social Care to the Chair of the Health and Social Care on NHS Federated Data Platform dated 30 August 2023, which 24 NHS trusts are actively realising benefits from the Improving Elective Care Coordination for Patients and Care Coordination Solution programmes.

Andrew Stephenson: Following the information shared by the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Lord Markham) on 30 August 2023, NHS England has continued to work with sites to deliver the Improving Elective Care Co-ordination for Patients (IECCP) programme. Overall, there are now 31 trusts who are realising waiting list and theatre benefits under IECCP. Some of these trusts are also realising discharge benefits using the Optimised Patient Tracking and Intelligent Choices Application pilot. The 31 trusts are listed below:  - Barts Health NHS Trust;- Bolton NHS Foundation Trust;- Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust;- Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Foundation Trust;- Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust;- Croydon Health Services NHS Trust;- East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust;- East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust;- Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust;- Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust;- Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust;- Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust;- Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust;- Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust;- London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust;- Medway NHS Foundation Trust;- Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust;- North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust;- North Tees and Hartlepool Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust;- Northampton General Hospital Trust;- Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust;- Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust;- Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust;- Southport and Ormskirk Hospital NHS Trust (now Mersey and West Lancashire);- South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust;- South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust;- The Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust;- United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust;- University Hospitals of Derby & Burton NHS Foundation Trust;- University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust; and- University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust.

NHS: Drugs

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make an estimate of NHS spending on branded drugs under the voluntary scheme for branded medicines pricing, access and growth.

Andrew Stephenson: We plan to publish the forecasts of branded medicines sales for the voluntary scheme for branded medicines pricing, access and growth alongside the full scheme documents published later this month.

Cancer: Medical Treatments

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has made a recent assessment of the potential impact of the removal of the end-of-life modifier on cancer technology appraisals.

Andrew Stephenson: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published its updated manual for health technology evaluations in January 2022 and introduced several changes to make its methods and processes fairer, faster, and more consistent. This includes the introduction of a broader severity modifier in place of the end of life modifier. Analysis carried out by NICE in the development of the modifier indicates that the vast majority of cancer medicines that would be eligible for the end of life modifier would also be eligible for a weighting under the severity modifier.Since the changes were introduced, 79% of NICE’s appraisals of cancer medicines carried out under the updated methods have recommended the use of the treatment for some or all of the eligible patient population, either for routine use or use through the Cancer Drugs Fund. The approval rate for all cancer appraisals carried out since 2009 when the end of life modifier was introduced is 78%.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Diagnosis

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of (a) improving and (b) adapting the SNOMED CT classification system in primary care when diagnosing suspected myalgic encephalomyelitis.

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make an estimate of the number of patients with suspected myalgic encephalomyelitis that have been (a) misdiagnosed and (b) missed due to the SNOMED CT classification system in primary care.

Andrew Stephenson: NHS England has not undertaken an assessment of the coding for myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). Whilst we are unable to estimate the numbers of patients misdiagnosed or missed, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guideline NG206 estimates that there are over 250,000 people in England and Wales with ME/CFS. The guideline is available at the following link:https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng206

Glioblastoma

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she (a) is and (b) plans to take steps to help increase the median survival rate for people with glioblastoma.

Andrew Stephenson: The Government is committed to improving the survival rates for all cancers. The Department and NHS England are working on implementing interventions to diagnose cancer early, when often there are more curative treatment options, is associated with better survival.To find and diagnosed all cancers earlier, NHS England is streamlining cancer pathways to support diagnosis within 28 days by implementing non-symptom specific pathways for patients who present with non-specific symptoms that can indicate several cancers, as well as implementing timed cancer pathways.Since 2019, cancer alliances have been developing new dedicated urgent diagnostic pathways for these patients so that every cancer patient with concerning, but non-specific symptoms, gets the right tests at the right time in as few visits as possible.In May 2018, the Government announced £40 million for brain tumour research as part of the Tessa Jowell Brain Cancer Mission through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). This includes research into glioblastoma. NIHR has funded four projects into glioblastoma research since financial year 2018, with a combined total funding value of £2.7 million.

Domestic Accidents: Health Services

Karin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the number of dedicated fall prevention teams.

Helen Whately: Integrated Care Boards are responsible for ensuring that the services they commission meet the needs of their local population with the resources they are allocated. Most areas have community-based falls prevention teams in place, these are often multi-disciplinary teams providing advice and support for people at risk of falling.In addition, in April 2023 the Department launched the Adult Social Care Technology Fund - to test, evaluate, and scale technologies, including those that are shown to reduce falls. Next steps to put People at the Heart of Care announced a further £102m over two years for housing adaptation support, in addition to the £573m per year already available through the Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG). The DFG helps around 50,000 eligible people in England each year to make their homes safe and suitable for their needs – this includes the reduction of trips and falls through the installation of stairlifts, level-access showers and ramps.

Health Services: Visual Impairment

Jane Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that healthcare information is accessible to blind and partially-sighted people; and whether she has had recent discussions with NHS England on the effectiveness of the accessible information standard.

Maria Caulfield: It is the responsibility of individual National Health Service organisations and publicly funded social care providers to comply with the Accessible Information Standard (AIS) and to meet the communication needs of patients and carers with a disability, impairment or sensory loss, including blind and partially-sighted people. NHS England has completed a review of the AIS to help ensure that everyone’s communication needs are met in health and care provision. The review considered the effectiveness of the current AIS, how the standard is implemented and enforced in practice, and identified recommendations for improvement. Following publication of the revised standard in due course, NHS England will continue work to support its implementation with awareness raising, communication and engagement and updated e-learning modules on the AIS to ensure NHS staff are better aware of the standard and their roles and responsibilities in implementing it. The e-learning modules are accessible to everyone working in the NHS and adult social care servicesA key part of the AIS review is the strengthening of assurance of compliance with implementation of the AIS. As such, an AIS self-assessment framework has been developed to support individual providers of NHS and social care services to measure their performance against the AIS and develop targeted improvement action plans to address gaps in implementation. The self-assessment framework has also been designed to help the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to gain insight into people's experiences and whether their accessible communication needs are being met, and to better understand organisational performance for inclusion in the CQC assessment framework for provider organisations.

Mental Illness

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what specialist service provision the NHS provides for people with (a) psychosis and schizophrenia, (b) eating disorders and (c) bipolar.

Maria Caulfield: The NHS Long Term Plan committed £1 billion of extra funding per year to transform and expand community mental health services. By the end of 2023/24, it is expected that 370,000 adults and older adults with severe mental health problems will be supported within newly transformed models of care in line with the Community Mental Health Framework.The Community Mental Health Framework is applicable to people irrespective of their diagnosis, aiming to reorganise community mental health services to provide comprehensive holistic care and treatment to give them greater choice and control over their care and support them to live well in their communities.As part of this new integrated offer, systems are supported to develop specialist services for adult eating disorders and early intervention for psychosis, while the expansion of psychological therapies includes extending the specific treatments people with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. Therefore, through expansion of community-based services, adults with severe mental health problems will be able to access treatment earlier, and closer to home, leading to better outcomes for them and their families.

Electronic Cigarettes

Andrew Lewer: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of limiting vape flavours to tobacco-flavoured devices on levels of smoking; and if she will bring forward legislative proposals to implement such a limitation.

Andrea Leadsom: Due to nicotine content and the unknown long-term harms, vaping carries risks to health and lifelong addiction for children. The health advice is clear that young people and people who have never smoked should not vape.This is why the Government consulted on measures to reduce the appeal and availability of vapes to children. These measures will need to balance having the biggest impact on youth vaping with ensuring vapes continue to support adult smokers to quit.The consultation response will be published shortly.

Nurses: Training

Sir George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of full time equivalent general nurses become full time equivalent specialist nurses after accreditation.

Sir George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment her Department has made of the necessary proportion of full time equivalent general nurses who become full time equivalent specialist nurses after accreditation to meet NHS workforce need.

Andrew Stephenson: The information on the number and proportion of nurses who become specialist nurses after accreditation is not held centrally. The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) sets the standards for education for the nursing profession. There is though no regulator required post registration educational preparation for most specialist nursing roles. An employer would be responsible for creating the number of specialist nursing posts they require, based on population need. It would be expected that an organisation would develop registered nurses into specialist roles, with support from regional funding. This funding enables the development of, for example, advanced practitioners and nurse prescribers.The NMC do publish data on registered Specialist Community Public Health Practitioners who hold specific recordable qualifications. This will not include all postgraduate training and nurses may be employed in a range of settings inside and outside of the English National Health Service. The data is available at the following link:https://www.nmc.org.uk/about-us/reports-and-accounts/registration-statistics/The NHS Long Term Workforce Plan set out that the NHS would focus on expanding the number of clinicians, including nurses, who train to take up enhanced and advanced roles, and work as part of multidisciplinary teams that have the right skills to meet the changing needs of patients. Supporting clinicians to train as enhanced and advanced practitioners will also help to retain staff by offering a valuable career progression opportunity.The NHS Long Term Workforce Plan sets the ambition of training at least 3,000 advanced practitioners in 2023/24 and 2024/25, and increasing the number in training further to 5,000 a year by 2028/29. By 2031/32, we expect that more than 6,300 clinicians will start training to become advanced practitioners each year.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Guyana

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he plans to visit Guyana in the next 12 months.

David Rutley: I plan to visit Guyana in the coming days to further show our support for the Guyanese people on this vital issue.

Falkland Islands: Bank Services

Alexander Stafford: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has had recent discussions with (a) his counterpart in the Falkland Islands government and (b) banks in the UK on the provision of banking services to people on the Falkland Islands.

David Rutley: The UK Government has ongoing discussions with political leadership in the Falkland Islands across a range of issues affecting the Islands, including the provision of banking services. Banking services on the Falkland Islands are regulated by the Falkland Islands Government as a self-governing UK Overseas Territory. Standard Chartered offer the only on-island retail banking option via their branch in Stanley, alongside other providers who offer other online financial services such as Square and Wise. The FCDO are working with other UK Government departments to ascertain how to ensure UK retail banking services are kept available to residents in the UK Overseas Territories.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Guyana

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will visit Guyana to show support for its territorial integrity.

David Rutley: The UK is concerned by the recent steps taken by Venezuela, with respect to the Essequibo region of Guyana. The UK supports Guyana's territorial integrity. We believe the unilateral actions of Venezuela are unjustified and should cease. We are clear that the border was settled in 1899 through international arbitration.We will continue to work with allies and partners in the region and through international bodies such as the UN Security Council, the Commonwealth and the Organisation of American States to ensure that the territorial integrity of Guyana is respected. I plan to visit Guyana in the coming days to further show our support for the Guyanese people on this vital issue.

Climate Change: Gender

Dan Carden: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has made an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of the report by CARE International UK entitled Turning promises into progress - how the UK can realise the potential of gender-just climate action, published in November 2023.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The UK's recently published International Development White Paper recognises the crucial role women and girls play in climate and nature action and the importance of partnering with women's rights organisations across our work. In addition, the FCDO's International Women and Girls Strategy includes a commitment to increase the portion of our International Climate Finance that promotes gender equality and women's rights. At COP28, the UK endorsed the Gender-Responsive Just Transitions Partnership Pledge and also joined a Champions Group on Grassroots Gender-Just Climate Finance.

Gaza: Humanitarian Situation

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the availability of (a) aid, (b) shelter and (c) key public infrastructure in the Al Mawasi safe zone.

David Rutley: We recognise there is a growing humanitarian crisis in Gaza; as the World Health Organization (WHO) Chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated in November, the lack of infrastructure and services in al-Mawasi, will likely increase health risks for those displaced. The recent pause was a crucial step towards addressing this, allowing increased aid and fuel into the area, however this remains drastically insufficient. To date the UK has delivered 74 tonnes of aid but there is still more to do. We have said repeatedly we'd like to see an extension of the humanitarian pause and are pressing for an increase in types of humanitarian items allowed in, including fuel, shelter and public health/sanitation items, alongside food, water and other medical items.

Gaza: Disease Control

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what steps he is taking to help mitigate the risk of an outbreak of (a) cholera and (b) other water-borne diseases in Gaza.

David Rutley: The UK provides support to UN agencies and other international partners who are active in the sectors of water, sanitation and hygiene. To date, we have also delivered over 74 tonnes of aid ourselves and are now providing £60 million in humanitarian assistance, tripling this year's aid budget for the Occupied Palestinian Territories, but there is still more to do. Current conditions do not enable these actors to work at sufficient scale, and so we continue to press the UN and Israel for unhindered humanitarian access and substantive, repeated humanitarian pauses that allow aid to enter. We are also pressing for an increase in types of humanitarian items allowed in, including fuel, shelter and public health/sanitation items, alongside food, water and other medical items. Shelter and public health/sanitation items are desperately needed to avoid many more deaths from infectious disease and from exposure.

Gaza: Israel

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what recent representations he has made to his Israeli counterpart on another humanitarian pause in Gaza.

David Rutley: We maintain a continuous dialogue with Israel where we stress the critical importance of humanitarian law and avoiding civilian casualties. The Foreign Secretary discussed this with the Israeli President during his recent visit. We continue to press, both at the UN and directly with Israel, for unhindered humanitarian access and further substantive, repeated humanitarian pauses. To be successful, pauses need to be agreed by all parties to the conflict and have enough time given to humanitarian organisations in advance, so they can scale up aid flows and distribution successfully.

Gaza: Peace Negotiations

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether his Department has had recent discussions on the reconstruction of Gaza as part of a peace process.

David Rutley: Alleviating the immediate suffering in Gaza is a top UK priority. To date, we have delivered over 74 tonnes of aid ourselves and are now providing £60 million in humanitarian assistance, but there is still more to do. We continue to press the UN and Israel for unhindered humanitarian access and substantive, repeated humanitarian pauses. We are also pressing for an increase in types of humanitarian items allowed in, including fuel, shelter and public health/sanitation items. Ultimately, there must be a long-term political solution; a two-state solution which provides justice and security for both Israelis and Palestinians. We believe that Gaza should ultimately be under Palestinian control and that the Palestinian Authority has an important long-term role to play, as the Prime Minister has discussed with President Abbas. As the Foreign Secretary said on 7 December, we must work with our allies to build up the Palestinian Authority, so that we can see a move towards a peaceful Palestinian leadership as soon as is practicable.

Gaza: Armed Conflict

Dan Carden: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, pursuant to the Answer of 5 December 2023 to Question 3925, whether the Government plans to contribute to the International Criminal Court's investigation into events in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

David Rutley: The UK is one of the major funders of the International Criminal Court (ICC) through its Annual Budget and works to ensure that the Court has the resources it needs to operate effectively and sustainably. We make every effort to assist the ICC and other international investigations as appropriate, including leading international efforts to build support for the work of the Court in Ukraine. On 20 March, the then Deputy Prime Minister co-hosted with the Netherlands an International Justice Ministers' Conference, generating over £4 million in voluntary contributions and new offers of practical support for the Court and its independent investigation into the situation in Ukraine. In addition to the UK's funding support of £10.5 million to the ICC's Annual Budget, since the start of the conflict in Ukraine, we have made further contributions totalling £2 million, which will increase the Court's capacity to collect evidence and provide enhanced psychosocial support to witnesses and survivors across their investigations globally. Additionally, the UK provides practical support including witness protection, sentence enforcement and secondments of UK experts. This year we provided additional funding to the Prosecutor's Trust Fund for Advanced Technology and Specialized Capacity, the Trust Fund for Deployed Personnel and the Trust Fund for Victims. Funding earmarked for individual investigations is forbidden under the financial regulations of the Court.

Gaza: Israel

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what recent representations he has made to his Israeli counterpart on (a) a blockade of Gaza, (b) compliance with international law and (c) protection of civilians.

David Rutley: UK Ministers and officials engage regularly with their Israeli counterparts. The Foreign Secretary visited Israel on 23 November where he met with a number of senior Israeli politicians. The Prime Minister spoke to Prime Minister Netanyahu on 5 December. Throughout our engagements, the UK continues to press our Israeli counterparts to adhere to International Humanitarian Law. Whether violations of International Humanitarian Law have occurred depends on detailed knowledge of the operation, including the precise nature of the target, the methods used to attack, and the attacking party's knowledge and anticipated military advantage in launching that attack.

Democratic Republic of Congo: Conservation

Chris Grayling: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, pursuant to the Answer of 11 December 2023 to Question 5523 on Democratic Republic of Congo: Conservation, what the formal mechanism for applications to receive funding from the Forest Governance, Markets and Climate programme is; and whether further funding will be made available for that programme.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: We remain committed to delivering on the $1.5 billion multi-donor Congo Basin Pledge made at COP26. Forest Governance, Markets and Climate (FGMC) programme has supported projects on forest governance, legality, transparency and rights in the Congo Basin through a number of grants to leading non-governmental organisations. FGMC intends to launch a new competitive grants programme that will support actions of civil society organisations across the congo basin, subject to Ministerial approval of the programme's new business case in 2024. Details of the application process for these grants will be made public at the time of the launch.

Ministry of Defence

Armoured Fighting Vehicles: Procurement

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 20 November 2023 to Question 1034 on Armoured Fighting Vehicles: Procurement, if he will provide a cost breakdown of the £449.56 million in terms of (a) increasing the size of the fleet and (b) increasing the fleets capabilities.

James Cartlidge: I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Defence: Recruitment

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 13 November 2023 to Question 70 on Defence: Recruitment, how many and what proportion of positions that were a job share role were advertised in each year since 2019.

Dr Andrew Murrison: This information is not held in the specific detail requested. All roles are advertised, with exception, as full-time, part-time, job share and flexible working. It is not possible to determine whether multiple incumbents of a single position are working a job-share working pattern or not. The below table shows the number of jobs advertised specifically as job-share only. Calendar yearNumber of jobs advertised as job-share only2019120203202162022420235

Ministry of Defence: Public Relations

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) average and (b) highest salary for press and public relations staff employed by his Department was in each year since 2019.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The Directorate of Defence Communications (DDC) media relation officers (press officers) grades range between Executive Officer and Grade 6. The London salary bands are shown for each grade by year in the table below. The information required to calculate average salaries is not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.  Award YearEOHEOSEOGrade 7Grade 62019£27,019 to £30,064£33,728 to £37,546£41,090 to £45,747£55,241 to £61,523£65,044 to £74,5972020£27,200 to £30,365£34,000 to £37,921£41,500 to £46,204£55,550 to £62,138£65,500 to £75,3432021£27,200 to £30,365£34,000 to £37,921£41,500 to £46,204£55,550 to £62,138£65,500 to £75,3432022£27,950 to £30,750£34,850 to £38,400£42,540 to £46,790£56,530 to £62,760£66,490 to £76,1002023£28,300 to £31,060£35,290 to £38,790£43,080 to £47,260£57,670 to £63,390£67,820 to £76,490

Ministry of Defence Police: Housing

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department provides housing for Ministry of Defence Police officers.

James Cartlidge: Ministry of Defence Police Officers are housed in Service Family Accommodation.

Army: Procurement

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 20 November 2023 to Question 1042, if he will provide a list of attendees at the 15 November meeting with industry partners.

James Cartlidge: The following organisations were represented at the 15 November 2023 Land Enterprise Working Group. Attendance is not set, with variation at each meeting based on the agenda and areas for intended discussion. Ministry of Defence4C StrategiesAdargaADS GroupAmazonBabcockBAE SystemsBoeing DefenceBriggs EquipmentDecision Analysis ServicesDenchi GroupElbit Systems UKGeneral Dynamics UKHorstmanJacobsJankelKBRKPMGL3 HarrisLeonardoLockheed Martin UKMBDANorthrop GrummanNP AerospaceOshkoshPearson EngineeringPlexusQinetiQRaytheonRheinmettalRicardoRolls RoyceRUSISaab GroupSercoSupacatThalesUKDSCWFEL

Defence: Procurement

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 20 November 2023 to Question 703 on Defence: Procurement, what reforms of the acquisition system his Department has implemented.

James Cartlidge: We set out our approach to acquisition reform in the Defence Command Paper, with an increased emphasis on time to delivery so that we can get capability into the hands of our Armed Forces when it is needed. We have introduced new tools that support streamlined acquisition approaches based on the risk and complexity of each programme; we are implementing pan-Defence Category Management to deliver financial savings and capability and business benefits; and we have increased the capacity and capability of our senior responsible owners leading our biggest projects. We are further reforming the acquisition system to drive pace as part of the wider review of the Defence Operating Model.

Ajax Vehicles: Procurement

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 14 November 2023 to Question 701 on Ajax Vehicles: Procurement, what cost increases there were at the (a) Bovington, (b) Lulworth and (c) Kirkcudbright facilities; and for what reason each cost increased.

James Cartlidge: It is taking longer than anticipated to identify and collate the information requested. Once available, I will write to the hon. Member with the information and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Shipbuilding: Govan

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the answer of 14 November 2023 to Question 700 on Type 26 Frigates, what is the planned completion date of the new Shipbuilding Hall at Govan.

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the answer of 14 November 2023 to Question 700 on Type 26 Frigates, what is the planned completion date of the new Applied Shipbuilding Academy.

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the answer of 14 November 2023 to Question 700 on Type 26 Frigates, what the other improvements to streamline production processes are.

James Cartlidge: BAE Systems has announced that on current plans the new shipbuilding hall at Govan will be completed in 2024. The new shipbuilding hall forms a key element of the improvements the company plans to make at its Clyde shipyards. These include the digitisation of the facilities at both Govan and Scotstoun alongside a range of infrastructure and automation improvements such as tablets and kiosk screens on the shop floor to streamline production processes. The company also intends to open its Applied Shipbuilding Academy in 2024.

Defence: Iron and Steel

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 14 November 2023 to Question 72 on Defence: Iron and Steel, what steps he is taking to encourage prime contractors to source UK steel for defence projects.

James Cartlidge: I refer the right hon. Member to the answers I gave on 12 and 13 September 2023 to Questions 198306 and 198308 to the right hon. Member for Wentworth and Dearne (John Healey).Ministry of Defence: Procurement (docx, 15.0KB)

Defence Equipment: Repairs and Maintenance

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many items of inventory were classified as unserviceable at the end of each year since 2019.

James Cartlidge: As referenced in the recent NAO report “Defence Inventory Management”, we are unable to quantify the amount of unserviceable items of inventory each year since 2019.

Army: Crimes of Violence

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Answer of 4 November 2020 to Question 109376 on Army: Young People, how many complaints of violent behaviour by staff made by (a) Junior Soldiers and (b) their parents and guardians were recorded on the Joint Personnel Administration system since 4 November 2020.

Dr Andrew Murrison: As stated in the answer of 4 November 2020, any reports of such behaviour are taken very seriously and investigated thoroughly. Anyone found to be not upholding the high standards that we expect of our personnel will be dealt with accordingly.  Timeframe Incident(s) ReportedNumber of cases of alleged violent behaviour by staff at AFC Harrogate (includes allegations of assault/battery/ill-treatment of subordinate) reported by:a) Junior Soldiersb) Parents/Family Members or GuardiansTotal01 November 2020 - 07 December 202314~15  Notes/Caveats  Totals have been rounded separately to the nearest five and so may not appear to be the sum of their parts. Rounding is used as a means of disclosure control and the preservation of anonymity. “~” denotes fewer than 5. Each case relates to one suspect but may include more than one alleged incident and/or victim. One suspect may have more than one case recorded. JPA is a live system which is updated for retrospective complaints/allegations and therefore data can be subject to change. In each case a judgement was made as to whether an allegation constituted violent behaviour. Please note that the figures provided are single Service estimates based on data which is not gathered for statistical purposes or subject to the same level of scrutiny as official statistics produced by Defence Statistics. The figures provided may therefore be subject to data quality issues affecting their accuracy.

Armed Forces: Apprentices

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 13 November 2023 to Question 71 on Defence: Training, how many and what proportion of the non-commissioned military recruits who were offered an apprenticeship after their training subsequently took up an apprenticeship.

Dr Andrew Murrison: Over 95% of all non-commissioned recruits are offered an apprenticeship aligned to their trade training, and over 99% of these take up the apprenticeship. Apprenticeships in the Armed Forces are integrated into the Service’s offer and recruitment; individuals must formally opt out, rather than choose to opt in. As of September 2023, 25,187 Service people are on an apprenticeship programme.

Afghanistan: Refugees

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) RAF and (b) Government-funded commercial flights have taken off from Pakistan to bring individuals to the UK under the (i) Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy and (ii) Afghanistan Citizens Resettlement Scheme in each month since August 2021.

James Heappey: Since September 2021, 38 Government-funded flights have been organised by the Ministry of Defence (MOD) to relocate Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) eligible individuals to the UK. This figure includes both MOD Voyager flights and civilian charter flights. For the separate Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS), flights and travel assistance are arranged by the Home Office and its partners, including the International Organization for Migration.

Ministry of Defence: Agency Workers

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department spent on temporary agency staff in each financial year since 2019-20.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The following table provides a summary of overall expenditure incurred by the Department over the last 4 financial years on temporary staff (sometimes also referred to as contingent labour): Financial Year The following table provides a summary of overall expenditure incurred by the Department over the last 4 financial years on temporary staff (sometimes also referred to as contingent labour):Financial YearValue (£million)2019-2020£272.3852020-2021£418.9502021-2022£483.4472022-2023£375.913 The growth in temporary staff expenditure in 2020-21 was due to significant growth in Defence Digital within Strategic Command to accelerate business transformation. The subsequent reduction was driven by transitions to a more permanent workforce.

Army: Discrimination

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will publish the survey on bullying, harassment, and discrimination undertaken by the Army Foundation College in 2020.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The survey into bullying, harassment, and discrimination in 2020 conducted by the Army Foundation College was an internal survey undertaken to inform the Project ATHENA Female Lived Experience report. These surveys contain sensitive information and are intended to inform decision making. They are not intended for publication. As a result, there are no plans to publish this internal survey. The Army does not tolerate bullying, harassment or discrimination. Army Foundation College (Harrogate) state the expectations of Junior Soldiers very clearly during training. Swift action is taken when the Army’s Values and Standards are breached.

Ministry of Defence: Apprentices

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 13 November 2023 to Question 71 on Defence: Training, what steps he is taking to ensure that apprenticeship programmes align with the (a) current and (b) future needs of his Department.

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 13 November 2023 to Question 71 on Defence: Training, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of his Department's apprenticeship programme.

Dr Andrew Murrison: Over 95% of non-commissioned recruits into the Armed Forces are offered an apprenticeship in conjunction with their trade training, demonstrating that apprenticeships are entirely aligned with the requirements of the role. The Civil Service aligns their apprenticeship offer to the annual Strategic Workforce Plan and in collaboration with the Heads of Professions. Defence ensures its apprenticeships are suited to the needs of the business both now and in the future, and is actively involved in ‘Trailblazer’ groups which develop the Apprenticeship Standards to match our future needs. The majority of the apprenticeships completed by Service personnel are currently delivered at Levels 2 (GCSE) and 3 (A-Level), but they are increasingly available at higher levels up to Level 6 (Honours degree). For Civilian personnel, there are over 100 apprenticeship standards being offered from Level 2 to Level 7 (Master’s degree) across a wide range of subject areas. These apprenticeships support an individual’s ‘through career’ personal and professional development and meets the demands of the future force through upskilling and reskilling, as well as contributing positively to Social Mobility. Having recently been awarded Platinum status for the 5% Club, the Ministry of Defence’s (MOD) effective Earn and Learn capacity and capability has been nationally recognised. Additionally, all three Armed Services were recognised at the Department for Education’s Top 10 Apprenticeship Employers’ awards (Army – first place; Royal Navy – third place and the Royal Air Force – seventh place). The average military achievement rate is over 80%, and the Civil Service at 56%, both above the national average. These metrics and achievements provide evidence that Defence’s apprenticeship programme is extremely effective. All our programmes are subject to, and have been successful in, Ofsted Inspections, and the core Civil Service apprenticeship schemes are assured for quality by both the MOD and the Cabinet Office in order to ensure additional rigour. We recognise that in the Civil Service there is more work to do to ensure that completions are as good as they can be, and work is in progress to increase achievement rates.

Defence: Mathematics

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he has made an assessment of the impact of the proposed requirement to learn maths until 18 on the defence workforce.

Dr Andrew Murrison: No assessment has been made of the impact on the Defence workforce of the proposed requirement to learn maths until 18. However, Armed Forces recruiting organisations continually monitor developments in central policy and are agile in accommodating them into recruiting policies and practices. These are further supported by Defence policies underpinning the skills and qualifications of personnel whilst in Armed Forces employment. Functional Skills (FS) underpin the practical approach embodied in military training and complements the day-to-day work of Service personnel. Defence has adopted FS qualifications as the accredited measures of literacy and numeracy skills for all Service personnel accessing in-Service literacy and numeracy provision. Recruits and trainees face training that places immediate demands on their FS abilities, particularly during technical Phase 2 training. It is essential, therefore, that they are capable of operating at an appropriate level upon reaching that stage of training. The single Services seek to improve the FS (English) and FS (Mathematics) abilities of all recruits by at least one national level and, ideally and if achievable within resources, to a minimum of Level 2. It should be noted that over 95% of recruits are offered an apprenticeship aligned to their trade training at a minimum of Level 2, which requires a minimum of FS Level 1 maths. Initial Assessments are conducted by the single Services for all recruits (who do not hold Level 2 English and Maths equivalent qualifications), and a further Diagnostic Assessment is in place for all those identified as having FS needs. Diagnostic Assessment is regarded as an ongoing process that is repeated, as required, until the Service person achieves Level 2 qualification.

Ministry of Defence: Apprentices

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 13 November 2023 to Question 71 on Defence: Training, how much his Department spent on the promotion of apprenticeships in his Department in each financial year since 2019-20.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The requested information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Ministry of Defence: India

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many staff from his Department are based in India.

Dr Andrew Murrison: As at 1 July 2023, there were approximately 15 MOD personnel (including UK Regular Forces, FR20 and civilians) stationed in India. Figures have been rounded to the nearest five to prevent inadvertent disclosure.Figures are based on Service personnel's stationed location and not their location of residence - where personnel work isn't necessarily where they live.

Defence: Apprentices

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 13 November 2023 to Question 71 on Defence: Training, how many apprentices were employed in (a) each English region, (b) Scotland, (c) Wales and (d) Northern Ireland in each financial year since 2019-20.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The requested information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Defence: Recruitment

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 13 November 2023 to Question 70 on Defence: Recruitment, how much was spent on advertising defence civil service roles in (a) 2019-20, (b) 2020-21, (c) 2021-22 and (d) 2022-23.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The requested information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The Ministry of Defence has in-house service provision for delivery of recruitment for both delegated and Senior Civil Service (SCS) grades through Defence Business Services (DBS) and the Civilian HR SCS team who deliver the operational aspects of recruitment – from advertising roles, to managing competitions. The majority of our roles are advertised through Civil Service Jobs, and along with other Departments we contribute to the funding of this service. We also promote opportunities through LinkedIn and our wider offer through Civil Service Careers. We operate a delegated model for recruitment, enabling different parts of the business to make choices about whether they require advertising in addition to Civil Service Jobs. We therefore do not hold data centrally on recruitment costs – including advertising roles. We are considering how we can improve our data on the cost of recruitment, so that we can understand our cost per hire.

Defence: Recruitment

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 13 November 2023 to Question 70 on Defence: Recruitment, what proportion of new employees in his Department were women in (a) 2021 and (b) 2022.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The requested information is provided in the following tables: Percentage of Female UK Regulars and Future Reserves 2020 (FR20) personnel intake by calendar year, 2021 - 2022  20212022UK Regulars12.2%11.7%Future Reserves 202017.0%16.4%Source: Analysis (Tri-Service) Table Notes: UK Regulars include Full Time Service personnel, including Nursing Services, but excluding Full Time Reserve Service (FTRS) personnel, Gurkhas, Mobilised Reservists, Military Provost Guard Service (MPGS), Locally Engaged Personnel (LEP), Non Regular Permanent Staff (NRPS), High Readiness Reserve (HRR) and Expeditionary Forces Institute (EFI) personnel. Figures include trained and untrained personnel. Future Reserves 2020 (FR20) includes Volunteer Reserves who are mobilised, High Readiness Reservists and Volunteer Reserve personnel serving on Additional Duties Commitment or Full Time Reserve Service contracts. Sponsored Reserves who provide a more cost-effective solution than Volunteer Reserve are also included in the Army Reserve FR20. Non Regular Permanent Staff, Expeditionary Forces Institute (EFI) and University Officer Cadets and Regular Reservists are excluded. Figures comprise personnel joining the Armed Forces either as new entrants or re-entrants. The percentages given in the table refer to the proportion of female intake from the total intake. Percentage of Ministry of Defence (MOD) Civilian female inflow by calendar year, 2021 – 2022  20212022Female Civilians41.8%43.5%Source: Analysis (Civilian) Table Notes: MOD civilian figures include MOD Main Top Level Budgetary areas (TLB), UK Hydrographic Office (UKHO), Defence Science Technology Laboratories (DSTL), Defence Electronics Components Agency (DECA), Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S) and Submarine Delivery Agency (SDA). Figures exclude Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) and Locally Engaged Civilians (LEC). Inflow may include civilian rejoiners.

Armed Forces: Recruitment

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department spent on recruitment campaigns for the (a) Army, (b) Royal Navy and (c) Royal Air Force; and of this spending how much was on (i) television adverts, (ii) social media adverts, (iii) newspaper adverts and (iv) other in the last 12 months.

Dr Andrew Murrison: Each of the Armed Forces conducts its own recruitment programmes. These are tailored to meet the requirements of each Service and this is reflected in the types of media used. The following information is published by Service. Royal Navy Media TypeFY 2022-23FY 2023-24TV£6,467,976£5,473,832Social Media£1,681,500£2,123,283Press£34,417N/ATotal£8,183,893£7,597,115 Notes:Data is provided by Financial Year (FY) (01 April to 31 March).Press advertising is mainly specialist press rather than newspapers.Figures for 2023/24 are not year to date as they include media bought but not yet delivered (committed) for Q4 December 2023 to March 2024. This is approximately 50% of the total as Q4 is the peak advertising quarter.  Army Media TypeRY 2022-23RY 2023-24TV£4,744,996£2,839,997Social£828,028£1,238,785Video on Demand (VOD)£960,152£376,582Radio£1,339,519£793,241Digital Audio£920,526£624,316Display£318,274£98,510Cinema£563,390£488,427YouTube£272,146£552,985Gaming£325,282£277,754Job Boards£544,711£666,630Out of Home (OOH)£200,000£508,585Paid Search£963,676£831,088Total£11,980,700£9,296,900 Notes:Data is based upon reconciled spend in Recruitment Year (RY) 2022/23 and RY 2023/24 until the end of August 2023 (RY 22/23 is 01 April 2022 – 31 March 2023 and RY 2023/24 covers 01 April 2023 – 31 August 2023).Army does not use print advertising.  Royal Air Force Media TypeFY 2022-23FY 2023-24TV Advertising (Inc VoD)£6,000,000£6,700,000Social Media£2,400,000£3,200,000Newspaper /Print Advertising£170,000£30,000Other (inc On-Line Video gaming)£1,000,000£200,000Total£9,570,000£10,130,000 Notes:All figures are rounded.FY 2023-24 data is subject to change.

Ministry of Defence: Mental Health Services

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many mental health specialists were employed by his Department in each year since 2019.

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department spent on mental health services in (a) 2019-20, (b) 2020-21, (c) 2021-22 and (d) 2022-23.

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department spent on mental health services for (a) military personnel and (b) veterans in (i) 2019-20, (ii) 2020-21, (iii) 2021-22 and (iv) 2022-23.

Dr Andrew Murrison: All Service personnel have access to mental health support throughout their career, including medical and non-medical services. This includes, but is not limited to, preventative support such as wellbeing services, digital content, access to trained mental health first aiders, interventional support, and appointments with clinical staff. For Armed Forces personnel requiring mental healthcare, the Defence Medical Services (DMS) provides a responsive, flexible, accessible, and comprehensive treatment service. The table below provides the spend for the clinical facing specialist element of mental health support delivered by Defence Primary Health Care within DMS to Armed Forces personnel: Financial Year£million2019-202020.52020-202119.62021-202219.82022-202319.3  The NHS is responsible for the provision of mental health services for veterans. In England, Op COURAGE provides a comprehensive mental health pathway for veterans. The table below provides the spend on Op COURAGE: Financial Year£million2019-202011.12020-202118.22021-202218.72022-202322.3 The table below provides the number of military personnel employed by DMS in mental health services as of 1 April in each year for 2019 until 2022. The figure is taken as of 1 July for 2023. YearNumber 2019100 2020100 2021106 2022113 2023118  In addition to the above figures, there are 159 civilian personnel currently employed by DMS in mental health services. It is not possible to provide historic figures for civilian personnel in mental health services as this information cannot be identified within the previous civilian reporting system.

Ministry of Defence: Health and Safety

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many reports were made by his Department to the Health and Safety Executive in (a) 2019, (b) 2020, (c) 2021, (d) 2022 and (e) 2023.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The principal statutory regulation for reporting harm to individuals is the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013 (RIDDOR). Under RIDDOR there is no requirement to report to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) the injury, death or diagnosis of a member of the armed forces when on-duty. However, the Ministry of Defence has undertaken to notify HSE as if such incidents were RIDDOR reportable. The table[1] below sets out the number of reports to the Health and Safety Executive for UK Armed Forces personnel broken down by calendar year and number[2] of reports: Calendar YearHSE Notifications2021[3]5022022[4]3892023[5]688  Prior to 2021, the Ministry of Defence did not hold centrally the number of RIDDOR reports for Armed Forces personnel submitted to the HSE. Reports relating to civilian personnel are made at a local level, and information is not compiled and held centrally. [1] HSE notifications from the period 1 March 2021 to 14 November 2023 which includes injuries for on-duty UK military personnel which had occurred in the UK.[2] Does not include fatalities.[3] Data is available from 1 March 2021.[4] Injuries due to sports were included until Feb 2022.[5] Data is provided up until 14 November 2023

Ministry of Defence: Training

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many and what proportion of staff in his Department participated in a learning and development programme by staff grade in each year since 2019.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The requested information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Ministry of Defence: Public Relations

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department spent on public affairs agencies in each financial year since 2019-20.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The information requested is not held centrally and can only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Ministry of Defence Police: Staff

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) workforce requirement and (b) actual number of staff was for the Ministry of Defence Police in each year since 2010.

Dr Andrew Murrison: MDP Officer requirement and Officer strength in each year, to 31 March, are as follows: Year201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024*Requirement366136452729270826902666269126912706286529172923291028752845Strength346433022949266024972503252025702533251526432768270125932497 *As at 31 October 2023

Home Office

Home Office: Employment Tribunals Service

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many employment tribunals were brought by employees of their Department in the last 12 months.

Chris Philp: Details of all employment tribunal decision outcomes are available on GOV.UK: https://www.gov.uk/employment-tribunal-decisions

Refugees: Ukraine

Stephen Farry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he plans to grant a further extension to the Ministerial Authorisation under the Equality Act 2010: Equality (arrangements for grants of leave to Ukrainian nationals).

Tom Pursglove: We are considering options and any announcements will be made in due course.

Visas: Families

Sam Tarry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of applications for spousal visas were sponsored by a person earning less than £38,700 in the last 12 months.

Tom Pursglove: The number and proportion of applications for spousal visas which were sponsored by a person earning less than £38,700 in the last 12 months does not form part of any current transparency data or migration statistics and is not published. The transparency data does, however, include a range of processing data and the latest data can be found at: Migration transparency data - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

Women and Equalities

Gender Recognition Certificates

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, whether she had discussions with her counterpart in Belgium before laying the Gender Recognition (Approved Countries and Territories and Saving Provision) Order 2023 on the removal of that country from the list of approved countries and territories to qualify applicants for the overseas route to apply for gender recognition certificates.

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, whether she had discussions with her counterpart in Bulgaria before laying the Gender Recognition (Approved Countries and Territories and Saving Provision) Order 2023 on the removal of that country from the list of approved countries and territories to qualify applicants for the overseas route to apply for gender recognition certificates.

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, whether she had discussions with her counterpart in Denmark before laying the Gender Recognition (Approved Countries and Territories and Saving Provision) Order 2023 on the removal of that country from the list of approved countries and territories to qualify applicants for the overseas route to apply for gender recognition certificates.

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, whether she had discussions with her counterpart in Finland before laying the Gender Recognition (Approved Countries and Territories and Saving Provision) Order 2023 on the removal of that country from the list of approved countries and territories to qualify applicants for the overseas route to apply for gender recognition certificates.

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, whether she had discussions with her counterpart in Greece before laying the Gender Recognition (Approved Countries and Territories and Saving Provision) Order 2023 on the removal of that country from the list of approved countries and territories to qualify applicants for the overseas route to apply for gender recognition certificates.

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, whether she had discussions with her counterpart in Iceland before laying the Gender Recognition (Approved Countries and Territories and Saving Provision) Order 2023 on the removal of that country from the list of approved countries and territories to qualify applicants for the overseas route to apply for gender recognition certificates.

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, whether she had discussions with her counterpart in Moldova before laying the Gender Recognition (Approved Countries and Territories and Saving Provision) Order 2023 on the removal of that country from the list of approved countries and territories to qualify applicants for the overseas route to apply for gender recognition certificates.

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, whether she had discussions with her counterpart in The Netherlands before laying the Gender Recognition (Approved Countries and Territories and Saving Provision) Order 2023 on the removal of that country from the list of approved countries and territories to qualify applicants for the overseas route to apply for gender recognition certificates.

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, whether she had discussions with her counterpart in New Zealand before laying the Gender Recognition (Approved Countries and Territories and Saving Provision) Order 2023 on the removal of that country from the list of approved countries and territories to qualify applicants for the overseas route to apply for gender recognition certificates.

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, whether she had discussions with her counterpart in Norway before laying the Gender Recognition (Approved Countries and Territories and Saving Provision) Order 2023 on the removal of that country from the list of approved countries and territories to qualify applicants for the overseas route to apply for gender recognition certificates.

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, whether she had discussions with her counterpart in Poland before laying the Gender Recognition (Approved Countries and Territories and Saving Provision) Order 2023 on the removal of that country from the list of approved countries and territories to qualify applicants for the overseas route to apply for gender recognition certificates.

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, whether she had discussions with her counterpart in Serbia before laying the Gender Recognition (Approved Countries and Territories and Saving Provision) Order 2023 on the removal of that country from the list of approved countries and territories to qualify applicants for the overseas route to apply for gender recognition certificates.

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, whether she had discussions with her counterpart in Singapore before laying the Gender Recognition (Approved Countries and Territories and Saving Provision) Order 2023 on the removal of that country from the list of approved countries and territories to qualify applicants for the overseas route to apply for gender recognition certificates.

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, whether she had discussions with her counterpart in Slovenia before laying the Gender Recognition (Approved Countries and Territories and Saving Provision) Order 2023 on the removal of that country from the list of approved countries and territories to qualify applicants for the overseas route to apply for gender recognition certificates.

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, whether she had discussions with her counterpart in Spain before laying the Gender Recognition (Approved Countries and Territories and Saving Provision) Order 2023 on the removal of that country from the list of approved countries and territories to qualify applicants for the overseas route to apply for gender recognition certificates.

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, whether she had discussions with her counterpart in Switzerland before laying the Gender Recognition (Approved Countries and Territories and Saving Provision) Order 2023 on the removal of that country from the list of approved countries and territories to qualify applicants for the overseas route to apply for gender recognition certificates.

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, whether she had discussions with her counterpart in the state of California before laying the Gender Recognition (Approved Countries and Territories and Saving Provision) Order 2023 on the removal of that US territory from the list of approved countries and territories to qualify applicants for the overseas route to apply for gender recognition certificates.

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, whether she had discussions with her counterpart in the state of Colorado before laying the Gender Recognition (Approved Countries and Territories and Saving Provision) Order 2023 on the removal of that US territory from the list of approved countries and territories to qualify applicants for the overseas route to apply for gender recognition certificates.

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, whether she had discussions with her counterpart in the District of Colombia before laying the Gender Recognition (Approved Countries and Territories and Saving Provision) Order 2023 on the removal of that US territory from the list of approved countries and territories to qualify applicants for the overseas route to apply for gender recognition certificates.

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, whether she had discussions with her counterpart in the state of Florida before laying the Gender Recognition (Approved Countries and Territories and Saving Provision) Order 2023 on the removal of that US territory from the list of approved countries and territories to qualify applicants for the overseas route to apply for gender recognition certificates.

Stuart Andrew: I refer back to my previous answer to UIN 5635 on 14th December.

Gender Recognition (Approved Countries and Territories and Saving Provision) Order 2023

Christine Jardine: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, whether she had discussions with external organisations before laying the Gender Recognition (Approved Countries and Territories and Saving Provision) Order 2023.

Stuart Andrew: We conducted thorough research in collaboration with the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office to verify our understanding of each overseas system in question, to then measure against the UK’s standard route to obtain gender recognition. Any update to the list of approved countries and territories is a periodic administrative task that does not require formal public consultation. As per the requirements of the Act we have consulted with the Scottish Government and the Northern Ireland Executive.

Ministry of Justice

Probation Service

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will list the total caseload for the probation service in (a) 2019, (b) 2020, (c) 2021, (d) 2022 and (e) 2023.

Edward Argar: The Probation Service is responsible for supervising all adult offenders sentenced to an order in the community and those offenders released from prison who are subject to pre- or post-release supervision. Please find the total caseload listed in the attached table.We have increased funding for the Probation Service by an additional £155m a year to recruit staff, bring down caseloads and deliver better supervision of offenders in the community.We continue to focus on recruitment and retention and have accelerated recruitment of trainee Probation Officers to increase staffing levels, particularly in areas with the most significant staffing challenges. As a result, over 4,000 trainees have joined the service since 2020.Data sources and quality:As with any large-scale recording system and calculations made from it; data are subject to possible errors.Source: Offender Management Statistics Quarterly (OMSQ) bulletin.Table (xlsx, 29.2KB)

Prison Sentences: Foreign Nationals

Neil O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of people who were not UK nationals and were sentenced to an immediate custodial sentence had (a) zero, (b) one, (c) two, (d) three, (e) four, (f) five, (g) six, (h) seven, (i) eight, (j) nine and (k) 10 or more previous convictions in each year since 2007.

Neil O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people who were (a) cautioned and (b) sentenced were not UK nationals in each year since 2007.

Neil O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners are in custody for (a) an offence relating to (i) violence against the person, (ii) sexual abuse and harassment, (iii) burglary, (iv) theft, (v) criminal damage and arson, (vi) drugs, (vii) possession of weapons, (viii) public order, (ix) miscellaneous crimes against society, (x) fraud, (b) summary offences and (c) offences not recorded as of 4 December 2023; and of those, how many and what proportion (A) have been sentenced to less than one year and (B) are foreign nationals.

Edward Argar: The information requested in PQs 5054 and 5055 could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.The most recent prison population data published in the department’s Offender Management Statistics Quarterly (OMSQ) is as at 30 September 2023. Any request for data ahead of this is exempt from disclosure, as it will form the basis for ‘future publication’. Therefore, we are not able to provide a substantive response to your request at this time.

Prisoners: Foreign Nationals

Neil O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many foreign national offenders were imprisoned (a) in total and (b) by offence type in each year since 2008.

Edward Argar: The total number of foreign national offenders who are imprisoned is published in Table A1.11 here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1173712/Population_30June2023_Annual.ods.Data for the second element can be found in the attached file.The removal of Foreign National Offenders (FNOs) is a Government priority with all FNOs sentenced to custody being referred to the Home Office for consideration of deportation. Both departments are working closely to maximise removals from prison including:Expanding the Early Removal Scheme to 18 months so we get them out of the country early and no longer cost taxpayers a small fortune;Deploying more Home Office caseworkers to speed up and increase removals from this country, and look at measures to remove foreign nationals accused of less serious crimes more quickly;Continuing to sign strike new prisoner transfer deals like the one agreed with Albania.The Govt has made good progress from removing from prison and the community and published figures show that overall FNO returns have increased in the latest 12-month period (ending September 2023) by 19% when compared to previous 12-month period (3,577 compared to 3,011).   We removed 16,676 foreign national offenders since January 2019 to September 2023.Table_5051 (xlsx, 19.0KB)

Crimes against the Person: Domestic Abuse

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the proportion of people convicted of assault in a domestic context who were charged with the offence of common assault under Section 39 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988 in the latest period for which data is available.

Gareth Bacon: The Ministry of Justice does not hold the data requested. Offences involving domestic abuse can take various forms and are prosecuted under the offence in law that best reflects their nature and circumstances, for example, assault or harassment. These offences can take the form of domestic abuse or non-domestic abuse and data collected from courts does not distinguish between the two.This Government continues to take concerted action to pursue perpetrators of domestic abuse. We have:Introduced a new wider statutory definition of domestic abuse, recognising all forms of abuse beyond physical violence, such as emotional and economic abuse, in law for the first time.Created new offences such as non-fatal strangulation or suffocation, and extended the coercive and controlling behaviour offence to include former partners.Extended the time in which victims are able to report domestic abuse-related assaults, so that more can seek justice.

Suspended Sentences

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will provide specific examples of exceptional circumstances relating to the (a) offence and (b) offender under the proposed duty to impose suspended sentence orders for sentences of 12 months or less in the Sentencing Bill.

Gareth Bacon: Where the presumption to suspend short sentences applies, the courts will still impose a sentence of immediate custody where there are exceptional circumstances which would justify not passing a suspended sentence. It will be for the independent judiciary to determine what constitutes exceptional circumstances in this context.

Department for Transport

Transport: Young People

Ian Mearns: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will take steps to invite representations from young people to help input their experiences into future transport policy.

Anthony Browne: The Department is committed to ensuring that it meets the obligations set out in the Public Sector Equality Duty and give due consideration to the needs of groups with protected characteristics when developing policies and programmes. As part of this we are seeking to build our evidence base on the travel needs, behaviours and experiences of different groups, including those of different age cohorts.

Bus Services: Rural Areas

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of competition law on the viability of bus services in rural areas.

Guy Opperman: It is for local authorities to determine if there is a need for a subsidised service in a particular area and, if so, are required to competitively tender for the provision of them.

Bicycles: Portsmouth South

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to support young people purchase bicycles in Portsmouth South constituency.

Guy Opperman: Active Travel England is providing funding to local authorities through the Active Travel Capability Fund, which can be used for a range of initiatives to enable more people of all ages to walk, wheel and cycle, including access to cycles. Portsmouth City Council received £74,658 through this fund for 2022/23. Active Travel England also awarded Portsmouth City Council £653,580 of capital funding for the same period, which will be used to build, improve and maintain infrastructure to support walking, wheeling and cycling. The Government also supports affordable access to cycles through the Cycle to Work salary sacrifice scheme, which is also open to under 18-year-olds in employment (conditions apply).

Department for Science, Innovation and Technology

Animal Experiments

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether her Department plans to take steps to introduce legislative proposals to (a) phase out animal testing and (b) support a full transition to non-animal approaches.

Andrew Griffith: The government has no plans to introduce legislative proposals at this time. UK law already requires that animals are only used in science where there are no alternatives, where the number of animals used is the minimum needed to achieve the scientific benefit, and where the potential harm is limited to that needed to achieve the scientific benefit. The Government is committed to fully implementing the 3Rs, techniques that replace, reduce and refine the use of animals in research, including transitioning to non-animal methods, wherever possible.

Animal Experiments

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to prohibit the re-testing on animals of (a) materials, (b) chemicals, (c) foods and (d) drugs already in public use.

Andrew Griffith: The Government has no current plans to assess the potential merits of legislative proposals to prohibit re-testing of products already in public use. Generally, once a product has had its initial approval, no further animal testing would be expected, though some exemptions exist when scientifically necessary.

Science: Research

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of establishing an expert advisory task force on non-animal scientific research.

Andrew Griffith: The Government has no current plans to establish an expert advisory group on non-animal research. The Government is committed to fully implementing the 3Rs, techniques that replace, reduce and refine the use of animals in research, including transitioning to non-animal methods, wherever possible. The Government funds the National Centre for the 3Rs (NC3Rs), which is widely recognised for its expertise, and delivers a range of initiatives to help the scientific community put the 3Rs into practice. The NC3Rs has recently set out its three-year strategy to increase the focus on animal replacement technologies and champion high standards in animal research.

Animal Experiments

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help reduce animal testing.

Andrew Griffith: The Government supports advances in biomedical science to reduce the use of animals in research, including stem cell research, cell culture, imaging and computer modelling techniques. UK Research & Innovation funds the development of techniques that replace, reduce and refine the use of animals in research (the 3Rs) through the National Centre for 3Rs (NC3Rs). UK law requires that animals are only used in science where there are no alternatives, where the number of animals used is the minimum needed to achieve the scientific benefit, and where the potential harm is limited to that needed to achieve the scientific benefit.